Isis and J&J sign RNA deal
pharmafile | January 8, 2015 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Isis, J&J, JJ, Janssen, RNA, gastrointestinal tract
Isis Pharmaceuticals is collaborating with Johnson & Johnson’s pharma unit Janssen to develop antisense drugs to treat autoimmune disorders.
The partnership brings together Isis’ RNA-targeted technology and the J&J spin-off company’s experience in therapeutic formulation to produce treatments for diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
The California-based pharma firm is in the running to make up to $835 million from the deal which includes regulatory and sales milestone payments, plus license fees.
“We are excited to be working with Janssen to apply our drug discovery and development efforts in this therapeutic area. This partnership broadens the utility of our drug discovery technology to new targets in the GI tract and expands the administration of antisense drugs to local delivery, including oral delivery, to the gut,” says Lynne Parshall, chief operating officer at Isis.
“This partnering strategy ensures that we have access to resources that support and enhance our drug discovery efforts and also provides us with collaborators, like Janssen, who are uniquely capable of conducting development, marketing and commercial efforts for these drugs,” adds Parshall.
Shares in Isis have ascended following the news of the partnership – in addition the company will receive tiered royalties that on average are double-digits on sales from any product that is successfully commercialised.
Furthermore Janssen has the option to license a drug from each of the programmes once a development candidate is identified. If Janssen exercises its option, it will assume global development, regulatory and commercialisation responsibilities.
There are more than 80 types of autoimmune disorders, they occur when the body’s immune system attacks and destroy healthy body tissue by mistake.
Addison’s disease is one such type that can affect people of any age although it’s most common between the ages of 30 and 50. In the UK about 8,400 people have the rare disorder which is more common in women than men.
Many collaborations appearing in 2015
J&J’s pharma unit entered another agreement only this week with British firm Vectura to develop therapies for asthma and COPD.
The collaboration will focus initially on the advance of a Phase II candidate and has the potential to include additional clinical-stage candidates.
“Vectura’s role in this agreement is to apply its expertise in the development of products for airway-related diseases and to utilise its technology/device platform offerings, some of which have regulatory and commercial validation,” says Dr Chris Blackwell, chief executive of Vectura.
The UK product developer’s dry powder inhaler technologies will be used to develop Janssen’s pulmonary products, such as inhaled therapeutics for airways-related diseases.
Tom Robinson
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